Speaking at a team huddle before India\u2019s practice session in Belfast on Saturday, ahead of the series opener on Sunday, Iyer set the tone and explained his leadership approach after World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav was replaced by the head coach Gautam Gambhir.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cLet\u2019s try to build a solid culture going forward. My first opportunity to captain the Indian team was definitely an honour and privilege, as Gauti bhai mentioned. It\u2019s a great respect as well to be leading the country,\u201d Iyer said during the practice session.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo going forward, I want to create a culture where all of us are protecting, supporting each other through thick and thin, and more importantly, when we are out here, have as much fun as possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity, and this is a family. Let\u2019s play like Lions and approach each and every game like we are going to win it and play to the best of our abilities. Have an atmosphere where we are uplifting each other and enjoying each other\u2019s success.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The speech provided a peek into the kind of culture that Iyer would want to enforce now that the Indian team is stepping into a new chapter with him at the helm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indian team also had extensive practice in Belfast prior to the opening game, though a majority of eyes had their gaze fixed on 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He could become one of the youngest Indian players ever to represent the country at the international stage, and spent about an hour batting at the nets under the supervision of Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The speech provided a peek into the kind of culture that Iyer would want to enforce now that the Indian team is stepping into a new chapter with him at the helm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following the unsuccessful experiment of appointing Shubman Gill as vice-captain, the selectors and management have turned to Iyer as the ideal replacement for Suryakumar in terms of leadership. The 31-year-old will certainly have his task cut out as India had raised the bar quite high in the T20 World Cup in their last cycle, and the expectations from Iyer will be pretty high from the beginning of the series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n